Verbatim

"We are just lucky they are bad shots."
—John Williams,
U.S. staff sergeant, explaining why recent Iraqi ambushes have not been more lethal

"There was this connection I felt. Unfortunately, there were 50 of us who felt it."
—Robin Solod,
One of dozens of women who became engaged to U.S. Colonel Kassem Saleh, who fought in Afghanistan, after meeting him through online dating services

"They're all liars—Khatami, Khamenei and the others. We don't want them anymore."
—Amir,
23-year-old Iranian, protesting in Tehran against his government

"When the outbreak started we were not ready, and when it finished we were not ready."
—Mike Rowse,
Coordinator of initiatives to restore confidence in Hong Kong, on how the government handled SARS

"She did it partly because she was drunk and because she thought it would be fun to write a novel about the story."
—Pramote Prathumwong,
Deputy commander of the Bangkok police, on So Leong-Ying, the Hong Kong journalist who fabricated a claim that she was gang-raped

"This show will go on. We're not sure how yet, but it will go on."
—Stuart Switzer,
producer of an Irish reality-TV show, after the ship carrying the cast and crew sank